Trees - Question of Cities

Walking with the trees of Mumbai, their fragrance and taste in tow

The Mahua tree helped Indians survive two famines, the imported – yes, imported – Gulmohar has buttress roots that grow at right angles, the Rain Tree grows in silos, then there are Arjun, Putranjiva, Pongam, Fish Tail, Kumkum Phal and…

When did we last hear what trees are telling us?

Trees are service providers to us, they perform necessary ecological functions, and they are among sturdy climate warriors there can be in a world dealing with climate change extremes. Adaptation is not something only human beings do in the climate…

Tree warriors of Thane and Navi Mumbai on their toes

Activists and environmentalists in these cities, off the Mumbai harbour, have intensified their fight to save trees from being cut for construction or choked by cement. The planned city of Navi Mumbai with its lush green nodes has turned into…

Trees and urban forests under attack in cities – and what to do about it

This summer saw temperatures across the country, especially in northern states, soar well beyond 40 degrees Celsius. Even cooler hill stations sweated through summer. The searing intense heat has a message – do not cut trees. But, unfortunately, lakhs of…

‘Cities are valued as places of commerce and not well-being, so trees are seen as dispensable’

In an age when cities are building more malls, parking lots, offices, schools and colleges, there seems to be hardly any room for trees. We have stopped valuing the natural resources and the ecosystem they support; as cities turn grey…